California
Related: About this forumIn California, more than 340,000 lose wildfire insurance
Californias relatively quiet 2019 fire season ended in October. Just days after Pacific Gas & Electric cut power to half a million customers in Northern California during high-wind conditions, the Saddle Ridge fire in Los Angeles County exploded in size overnight, burning some 8,000 acres.
There are many things Californians can do to prepare for these blazes, but one option taking out wildfire insurance is out of reach for many of them. For example, after massive fires in 2018, an estimated 350,000 Californians could no longer get property and casualty insurance that also covered fire.
Over the past several years, premiums have risen significantly as much as 300% to 500% in many cases. And in many high-risk areas, insurers are increasingly opting not to renew coverage.
In the past four years insurers have dropped more than 340,000 policyholders in fire-prone areas. Owners who cant find private wildfire insurance must rely on Californias FAIR plan, a state-backed pool of insurers who provide basic coverage for a high price as a last resort.
Read more: https://www.hcn.org/articles/wildfire-in-california-more-than-340000-lose-wildfire-insurance
(High Country News)
Auggie
(31,174 posts)BigmanPigman
(51,611 posts)"Although the 2019 fire season had been relatively quiet in California through mid-September as compared to past years, October through December is still expected to have the greatest fire potential as the Santa Ana winds pick up."
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_California_wildfires
Our two worst fires in San Diego (Witch and Cedar Fires) occurred at this time in Oct. Both closed schools for a week and burned thousands of homes in 2003 and 2007.
It was 92° outside my back door yesterday and humidity was 36%. Fortunately it wasn't windy when a small fire started near downtown. I smelled smoke and got ready, just in case but they knocked it down quickly.
PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,865 posts)most expensive to insure.
I recall adding earthquake insurance to my homeowner's policy when we lived in Colorado, and it was maybe ten bucks a year. I do feel for those who live in California, which is known for earthquake risk. But I will suggest that those who live in, say, Portland, OR, seriously consider getting earthquake insurance. And probably other parts of the country, too.
Which reminds me, I'm going to have to check with the entity that has my homeowner's insurance and see exactly what I'm covered for.
CountAllVotes
(20,876 posts)You'd have to almost wipe out the foundation on a house before enough damage is done to ever get beyond the deductible.
Quake insurance tends to be of not of much use in too many cases.
PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,865 posts)I don't happen to live in earthquake country, so I have no idea what insurance I might carry if I lived there. Although these days in California fire insurance is clearly what you want to have.